The traditional Thanksgiving turkey might not be for everyone.Kimberly L. Jackson/The Star-Ledger

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, a time to chill with family, watch football and feast. It has none of the harried commercialism of Christmas, and the chill in the air makes a walk in the park or a game of touch football a refreshing treat.

But why do we place the turkey, that loathed beast, in the middle of it? The most skillful cooks spend hours basting and stuffing this thing in an attempt to keep it moist, and at best they achieve half-success.

You can’t eat turkey without gravy. And let’s face it, that would not be a deal-breaker if the meat itself were a filet.

Yes, with the gravy, the stuffing, the potatoes, the onions, the carrots, the beets and the vegetables, the Thanksgiving meal is a cornucopia. But don’t credit the turkey for that. It sits in the middle, but the supporting cast provides the flavor and zest.

It offends people when I say this. Their eyes dart away, looking for someone else to connect with, as if to affirm their loyalty to this tradition. Fine. But if turkey is really so great, why do we eat it only once a year?

Anyway, I have Mark Bittman, the food writer for the New York Times, on my side. In a piece today, he describes turkey as “just about the worst piece of meat you can roast” and suggests we switch our attention to the ever-delicious and nutritious sweet potato.

I will eat the turkey tomorrow, drowned in gravy, as I have dutifully done every year of my life. But I wonder if we can find a better way to honor the pilgrims. How about a nice piece of salmon?